Georgian (Civ6)/In-depth strategy guide by ThinkingNut
The following guide is being constantly updated by ThinkingNut. ThinkingNut has been playing Civ 6 since the release of the game in late 2016. He plays and wins on Deity difficulty in Single Player and Multiplayer. The guide has been updated for Rise and Fall and Gathering Storm . Introduction Georgia is a versatile, straightforward and solid civilisation that can, with the right Religious and diplomatic setup, effectively go for any Victory type and gain an advantage no matter the map or geopolitical situation. Tamar's Glory of the World, Kingdom and Faith ability allows her to quickly become and stay the Suzerain of many City-States, thus absorbing their Suzerain bonuses and yields. She therefore can earn massive amounts of Diplomatic Favor ( only) and Gold with the right government policies. She also gains a +100% but temporary boost to Faith if she declares a Protectorate War. This has excellent synergy with Grand Master's Chapel. Strength In Unity is an extremely powerful ability if competently leveraged, allowing Georgia to potentially earn multiple and consecutive Golden Ages more easily than any other civilisation in the game. It also grants a +50% Production bonus towards walls. The Khevsur is a unique melee Medieval unit that is stronger than a Swordsman, costs half the Iron to train, and gets a Combat bonus when fighting on hills. It is a great counter to Pikemen and can even win against Knights if it gets attacked on hills. The Tsikhe is a Renaissance walls replacement that is cheaper, tougher, and grants a Faith bonus which is doubled when Georgia is in a Golden Age. The bonus is doubled multiplicatively if Georgia declares a Protectorate War, meaning it can potentially grant up to an unparalleled +16 Faith per turn - the highest amount of Faith any unique infrastructure, building or District can provide in the game. In terms of difficulty, Georgia is a relatively simple civilisation to pick up and play well. The key is understanding the general game mechanics of Golden Ages, diplomacy (specifically in Single Player) and Religion and using these to your advantage. Once you do, you will find that this is a civilisation that scales consistently and well into the late game. If played well, she will be a force to be reckoned with at all difficulty levels. Good luck! Beginner's Mini-Guide To Georgia If you are fairly experienced at playing Civilization 6 but picking up Georgia for the first time, here are my eleven beginner's tips to make your learning curve easier. The idea is to set yourself up for massive and scaling amounts of Faith, Gold and Diplomatic Favor ( only), maintaining Suzerainty of multiple City-States and protecting yourself from enemies with the Khevsur and Tsikhe. Note that these are general tips that work fairly well in all situations. When you get more experienced, learning to adapt these suggestions to your immediate environment will be key so that you leverage the maximum advantage as a Georgia player. # Beeline for an early religion every game, and build Holy Sites in at least half your cities. # If you are going for a Religious Victory, my ideal offensive setup would be getting in the following order: Choral Music (Follower), Holy Order (Enhancer), Mosque (Worship) and Pilgrimage (Founder). # If you desire another victory type, my ideal defensive setup would be getting in the following order: Choral Music (Follower), Church Property (Founder), Stupa (Worship), and Defender of the Faith (Enhancer). # Spread your religion to the nearest City-State first before investing any Envoys there to make use of Glory of the World, Kingdom and Faith. # Beeline for Medieval Faires to slot in the Merchant Confederation Diplomatic Policy Card. When combined with the Charismatic Leader (and later on, Gunboat Diplomacy) Diplomatic Policy Card, this combination becomes your mid-game power-spike which will scale and serve you well until the end of the game. # For Gathering Storm players, unless you are going specifically for a Diplomatic Victory, remember to constantly sell your Diplomatic Favor for Gold to the highest bidder. # Choose Dedications that you know you can earn the most Era Score for, and do your best at fulfilling the criteria necessary for a Golden or Heroic Age. # Make sure to grab at least one Khevsur in the Medieval Era to upgrade the Melee Combat Strength of your walls. # Try to build the Tsikhe in every city with the help the Limes Military Policy Card. # Grab Grand Master's Chapel every game as your tier 2 Government Plaza building. It synergises extremely well with Georgia's kit, and will aid you in the event of a Protectorate War. # Grab Moksha, Amani and Victor for Governors. For more advanced, in-depth notes and strategies, please see below: Glory Of The World, Kingdom And Faith There are two parts to this ability: 1. Each Envoy to City-States that have Tamar's Religion as their majority Religion counts as 2 Envoys. 2. +100% Faith for 10 turns after declaring a Protectorate War. I will also explain my choices for Religious Beliefs and how they complement Glory of the World, Kingdom and Faith. Notes On Double Envoys Under Tamar's rule, Georgia has an exceptional ability to generate Envoys and become the Suzerain of multiple City-States. This only comes into effect if Tamar's Religion counts as the majority Religion in that City-State. Six notes here: # Only send Envoy(s) to a City-State after you have made sure your Religion counts as its majority Religion. Check every time because the majority may have swung towards another Religion's favour later in the game without you realising it. # Beeline for Medieval Faires to get the Merchant Confederation Diplomatic Policy Card. When combined with the Charismatic Leader (and later on, Gunboat Diplomacy) Diplomatic Policy Card, these combinations turn your Envoys into a reliable, passive and scaling source of Gold for the rest of the game. # ( only) Since you have such a strong ability to attain and maintain the Suzerain status of multiple City-States, the Diplomatic Favor generated can be sold to the AI for Gold and/or luxury/strategic resources. This is very strong all game, especially on higher difficulty levels in Single Player where the AI have a lot more Gold to spend. # Only invest Envoys into City-States which are reasonably near your empire. This makes it easier to keep your Religion the majority Religion at said City-State, which will then help you get the double Envoy mechanic going. It is also logistically easier to defend them militarily and religiously. # You'll find that the direction of your game is heavily influenced by which City-States are nearest to you. Eg. If you have two Science-type City-States as your neighbour, maintaining Suzerain status over them would encourage you to build many Campuses and go for a Science Victory. # And because you'll be earning so much Gold, it becomes an option to entirely skip or at least delay building Commercial Hubs in your empire. You can use the space for other Districts, the yields of which can be boosted by the City-State(s) you are Suzerain of. This gives Georgia an incredible amount of flexibility in her gameplay. Notes On The Temporary +100% Faith Boost This mechanic kicks in for 10 turns after you have declared a Protectorate War, a diplomatic option that only becomes available after you research the Diplomatic Service civic. 4 notes here: # This Casus Belli remains available only while the power and the City-State are at war. If they make Peace, or if the City-State gets conquered, the Casus Belli vanishes. # The Faith boost works multiplicative instead of additively with the Scripture and Simultaneum Economic Policy Cards. Ie. If you have a base Faith yield of 1 which is augmented by Scripture and Simultaneum to 2, Glory of the World, Kingdom and Faith can temporarily boost this yield to 4! # This mechanic goes perfectly with the Grand Master's Chapel. More Faith means an increased ability to buy troops with Faith, allowing you to very quickly crank out a huge army. Just make sure you've built the building before declaring war! # And because you'll be earning so much Gold from your Envoys and from selling Diplomatic Favor to the AI, it'll be easier to pay maintenance for your troops. Notes On Picking Religious Beliefs Pantheons are always situational to your particular map. For Follower Beliefs, my top choice is Choral Music with Feed the World being a situational second choice. Getting extra Culture from Choral Music complements Glory of the World, Kingdom and Faith well because of the following four reasons: # More Culture means faster access to Civics that grant Envoy(s) (eg. Mysticism) and more advanced Governments that generate more Envoys faster. More Envoys = more political influence, Gold and Diplomatic Favor which, if sold to the AI, becomes even more Gold. # More Culture also means faster access to Merchant Confederation, Georgia's ticket to her big power spike in the mid game. # The Culture boost is instantaneous and reliably scales throughout the game. I have tried other options such as Jesuit Education and Work Ethic, but they take too long to become useful. # More Culture means that if the geopolitical circumstances of your game push you towards building a technologically advanced army (eg. your nearest neighbours are Genghis Khan and Trajan), you can do so by building Campuses and Encampments without losing out on as much Culture from not building Theater Squares. Again, this gives Georgia's play style more flexibility. The only situation where Feed the World would be a superior choice for your Follower Belief would be when you spawn on a food-scarce starting location - ie. desert, tundra or snow-heavy areas. As for my other choices in Worship, Founder and Enhancer beliefs - if going for a Religious Victory, my ideal offensive setup would be getting in the following order: Choral Music (Follower), Holy Order (Enhancer), Mosque (Worship) and Pilgrimage (Founder). This setup revolves around maximising the value and accessibility of my Missionaries and Apostles. If I am gunning for another victory type, my ideal defensive setup would be getting in the following order: Choral Music (Follower), Church Property (Founder), Stupa (Worship), and Defender of the Faith (Enhancer). Church Property is great because it is another reliable and steady source of Gold. This complements the Gold you'll already be getting via your Envoys and Diplomatic Favor. Stupa is nice because the extra Amenity delays the need for you to build Entertainment Complexes in the mid game, thus freeing you up to build other, more valuable Districts first. Defender of the Faith is an all-round excellent complement to Georgia's defensive play style. It applies to both military and religious units. At higher difficulty levels on Single Player, the +5 Combat Strength helps overcome the Combat bonus that the AI gets against you. Strength In Unity There are two parts to this ability: # Dedications chosen at the beginning of a Golden Age or Heroic Age also grant their respective Normal Age bonuses towards improving Era Score. # +50% Production towards walls. With the first part, this means that Georgia can earn multiple, consecutive Golden Ages more competently than any other civilisation. It also means that she can more easily transition into a Golden Age after a Heroic Age. To achieve this, you will need to very carefully weigh what each Dedication will offer you, and how you can earn Era Score if you choose it. This does mean that you will have to adjust your play style depending on which Dedication you choose at the start of each Era. Eg. If you picked Exodus of the Evangelists, prioritise spreading your Religion for that Era. Once you enter your first Golden Age, it'll be easier to maintain successive Golden Ages with some careful planning. The second part is very helpful to help us build our unique building, the Tsikhe. When building walls, it is advisable to also pick the Limes Military Policy Card to boost the Production bonus to +150%. Tsikhe The Tsikhe is a replacement for the Renaissance Walls. It has a lower Production cost at 265 instead of 305 (which is then lowered further by the +50% Production bonus from Strength In Unity), grants +200 Outer Defense Strength instead of +100, +3 Tourism (after researching the Conservation civic) instead of +2, and +4 Faith instead of 0. When in a Golden Age, the Tourism and Faith yields are doubled. What is perhaps less obvious is that when Georgia declares a Protectorate War while in a Golden or Heroic Age, the Faith yield is doubled multiplicatively due to Glory of the World, Kingdom and Faith, meaning that the Tsikhe can potentially yield up to +16 Faith per turn on top of its defensive benefits and Tourism yield. This is by far the highest base Faith yield that any unique infrastructure, building or District can provide in the game. This means that even with the standard +4 Faith per turn, the Georgian empire has access to a reliable source of Faith in all her games. This gives her gameplay flexibility because she does not necessarily have to prioritise building Holy Sites in all her cities, and can rely on the Tsikhe for an alternate source of Faith generation. This building is also the only unique City Center building in the game, meaning that Georgia can quickly turn all her cities into impregnable fortresses while also gaining massive Faith yields. These Faith yields can then be used to buy her a huge army once she has constructed Grand Master's Chapel. If you are going for a Culture Victory, the Tourism yield, especially in a Golden Age, will be useful. It should be noted that walls are obsolete once Steel is unlocked. All cities are then upgraded with Urban Defenses. This prevents any further walls from being built. So if you plan to build the Tsikhe in your cities, it would be wise to wait until all the walls are finished before researching Steel. Thankfully, the yields of the Tsikhe remain regardless of whether or not you have researched Steel. Finally, grabbing the Military Research Military Policy Card grants the Tsikhe +2 Science per turn. This brings the maximum potential yield of a single Tsikhe up to an impressive +16 Faith, +6 Tourism and +2 Science per turn. Khevsur The Khevsur is a unique melee unit that is unlocked after researching Military Tactics. On the positive side, when compared to its predecessor, the Swordsman, it costs 10 Iron to train instead of 20 Iron, boasts 45 Combat Strength instead 36, and gains +7 Combat Strength when fighting on hills. It also receives no Movement penalties from hills. Like the Swordsman, it also gets +10 Combat Strength vs. anti-cavalry units. However, it costs almost double in Production and Gold (160 Production and 640 Gold on Standard Speed vs. 90 Production and 360 Gold) and requires 3 Gold per turn instead of 2 Gold per turn for maintenance. Taking all that into account, the Khevsur is a legitimately strong and useful unit. Despite the higher Production and Gold costs and maintenance, Khevsurs can be bought relatively inexpensively with Faith after Georgia has built the Grand Master's Chapel. Its higher base Combat Strength and bonus against anti-cavalry units means that it slaughters Crossbowmen and Pikemen with ease, and can even win defensive battles against Knights as long as it fights on hills. The superior mobility on hilly terrain means that a skilled Georgian player can outflank, outmanoeuvre and overpower enemies with an army of Khevsurs. It also means that an early rush with Battering Ram/Siege Tower supported Khevsurs is pretty much unstoppable if your opponent is still stuck with Classical Era units. When playing defensively, their Combat Strength can be further augmented by +5 if you do decide to take Defender of the Faith as your Enhancer Belief. This, when combined with Medieval Walls that are made cheaper by Strength In Unity, will prompt enemies to think twice before attacking Georgia in the Medieval Era. It should also be noted that Khevsurs' soft counters are Crossbowmen fortified within walled-up Encampments or City Centers. While it does fare better than the Swordsman, it would be prudent to move Khevsurs onto hill tiles and promote them down the Battlecry -> Commando route. Getting Battlecry improves the Khevsur's survivability against ranged units, and Commando increases the unit's mobility even more. Another weakness of the Khevsur is that Swordsmen cannot upgrade into it. One final note: Because the Eureka boost for Military Tactics requires a unit to be killed by a Spearman, it would be in your best interests to grab a Spearman early on for Barbarian hunting so that you can get to Khevsurs faster. Policy Cards This section will recommend what policy cards work best in synergy with Georgia's kit. As such, the recommended play style is intended to revolve around getting rich off your Envoys, boosting Faith generation, and maximising the accessibility and value of the Khevsur and Tsikhe. Government My top recommendation would be Theocracy. Everything in its bonuses lend themselves to aiding a Religion-focused civilisation such as Georgia. It also sports two Economic Policy Slots which allows it to run Serfdom + Colonisation or Scripture + Simultaneum as two possible combinations. This allows Georgia to slot in the all-important Merchant Confederation Diplomatic Policy Card in the mid game without sacrificing her empire expansion or Faith generation. Also, the +4 Combat Strength from Wars of Religion is an excellent boost to the already good base Combat Strength of the Khevsur. All other governments are situational. Government Plaza Buildings My top recommendation would be Grand Master's Chapel. It works exceptionally well with the temporary +100% Faith boost from Glory of the World, Kingdom and Faith. It frees up a Military Policy Slot which would otherwise be needed for Production bonus enhancing cards towards military units - Feudal Contract or Chivalry, for example. This allows me the flexibility to go Conscription + Wars of Religion if I am at war or Conscription + Limes/Military Research if I am at peace. All other Government Plaza Buildings are situational. Governors My top three recommendations would be Moksha, Amani and Victor. # Moksha is an obvious choice because of the Religiously inclined nature of Georgia's kit. # Amani is also a great choice to complement Georgia since she boosts the number of Envoys in City-States. Getting the Puppeteer title early in conjunction with Merchant Confederation works brilliantly with Glory of the World, Kingdom and Faith. This allows one invested Envoy to count as FOUR new Envoys as long as the City-State has Tamar's Religion as its majority Religion. # Victor is also a logical choice to help further bolster Georgia's already impressive defensive capabilities. Dedications These Dedications work well with Georgia's kit: # Exodus of the Evangelists is a good early fit for Georgia since she'll want to at least spread her Religion amongst her own cities. # In the mid game, the Golden Age version of Monumentality is an excellent choice as it allows you to use Faith to buy civilian units. Because Georgia has invested heavily in Holy Sites in the early game, this gives your accumulated Faith a way to be directly helpful for empire expansion. # In the late game, grabbing Heartbeat of Steam is a safe choice if you want to earn Era Score for getting another Golden Age. You will be building Industrial or later buildings anyway. All other Dedications are situational. Wonders These four Wonders work well with Georgia's kit. They are not essential, and should not be given priority over general empire expansion. Furthermore, as Georgia has no inherent bonuses that directly help her build Wonders, I generally try to invest my Production elsewhere. That said, having these Wonders does make life a lot nicer: # Kilwa Kisiwani: Having more Envoys and potentially more yields from City-States works well with Glory of the World Kingdom and Faith, Amani, and the Charismatic Leader + Merchant Confederation combination. # Potala Palace: The additional Culture and Faith is nice, but the main selling point is the extra Diplomatic Policy Slot. Being able free up another policy slot is great because you can do so without sacrificing the core Charismatic Leader + Merchant Confederation combination. # Taj Mahal: This Wonder directly synergises with Strength In Unity, allowing for faster accumulation of Era Score. # Országház: Getting this is a safe choice since you can sell the extra Diplomatic Favor to the AI for more Gold. It is also essential if you are going for a Diplomatic Victory. The extra Culture is also decent. Note that I have deliberately omitted Religiously inclined Wonders such as the Mahabodhi Temple and Kotoku-in as including them would be redundant - they work well with every Religious civilisation. Playing as Georgia In Multiplayer In Multiplayer games, human players, on the whole, tend to play more aggressively and militaristically throughout the game. They are also a lot less predictable than the AI, and will be smart enough not to fork over exorbitant amounts of Gold in exchange for Diplomatic Favor. As such, key play style adjustments I make are: # I make use of Strength In Unity to help me build all the walls and do my best to beeline for Khevsurs to protect my empire. # I tend not to build any Wonders as it is too risky to neglect my military and Science. # I don't bother with trying to spread my religion beyond my own empire or going for a Religious Victory. Human players will be smart enough to simply declare war on me and condemn my religious units to stop me. # I also tend to change up the order of acquiring beliefs for my defensive Religious setup, going instead: Choral Music (Follower), Defender of the Faith second (Enhancer),' '''Church Property '''third' (Founder), and '''then '''Stupa (Worship). Having that extra +5 Combat Strength in the early game can be the difference between an early loss or survival. Victory Types This section is intended to showcase the versatility of Georgia's kit for all Victory types. Note that these strategies are not set in stone, and are general guidelines that are meant to be adapted to the circumstances of the game. How to Play Against Georgia Simply invade Georgia during the Ancient to Classical Era with as much military as possible while she is preoccupied with building Holy Sites and walls. She relatively weak before getting her main power spikes - Merchant Confederation, Grand Master's Chapel, Khevsurs, Tsikhes and the ability to declare a Protectorate War. Even if you don't manage to kill her, simply causing sufficient damage to her economy will cripple her for the rest of the game. Therefore, any civilisation that has bonuses toward early game warfare will do well against Georgia. Eg. Aztecs, Scythians and Sumerians. An alternative way to weaken Georgia is to capture her nearby City-States through force before she builds the Grand Master's Chapel and gets the ability to declare a Protectorate War. This will axe her ability to grow prosperous from her relationships with the said City-States. The Germans are particularly good at this.Category:Guides (Civ6)